NYFW: Marc Jacobs’ Space Age ladies who lunch

The Marc Jacobs show at the Armory on Lexington had people literally crammed cheek to jowl to butt in the mirrored bleachers. Moody red lighting bathed the cavernous space, and the towering pillar were clad in white patent quilted vinyl punctuating a mirrored runway. Marilyn Manson’s hard-edged “Beautiful People” blasted at full volume.

AP Photo/Kathy Willens

The shirts were polyester. The knits were wool terrycloth. The oversized sequins were rubber. Yet in Jacobs’ hands, it all worked together to create a sort of Space Age Lady Who Lunch effect. A head-spinning 63 looks channeled the 1940s and Dior’s New Look silhouettes in fitted suits with gathered, darted jackets over lean skirts. But it was all tweaked to avoid looking strictly retro — pockets were wittily exaggerated, jackets came in several proportions, a series of glittery lurex T-shirts were paired with skirts. The fabrics read luxe, from the “cellophane” jabots tucked into antique-looking long lace dresses to the “plastic cabochon-studded pony skin” sweater and shiny black fake croc skirts. With so much embellishment, the colors were necessarily subdued: wine red, slate blue, forest green, black and ivory. Patterns came in the form of polka dots, jacquard and other details. The looks were styled to the hilt, with short gloves. studded handbags, patterned hose and shiny wedge-heeled booties and rubber boots. The hard vinyl mini berets secured by cashmere chinstraps (by Stephen Jones) added an otherworldly, militaristic touch. They, too, came in contrasting colors, dalmatian and polka dot patterns. Was it over the top? Of course. But Marc Jacobs is a showman and knows the crowd loves spectacle. Watch it here.

Celebrity attendees included Sofia Coppola, Leighton Meester , Martha Stewart , Whoopi Goldberg (wearing a pirate hat and Amish-like dress) and Vanessa Hudgens . Coppola, a longtime friend and muse, told Unzipped the collection looked like Marc but was also “something new.” Overall, she found it “Fun, exciting and chic.”

AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Elizabeth Lippman/The New York Times

For more up-to-the-minute reports, follow SFUnzipped at www.twitter.com/sfunzipped. Next shows: Vera Wang and Rodarte.